Questions regarding Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic idioms in the Biblical text and how they should be interpreted. For example, Dt 21:17 uses "Beginning of his strength" to refer to firstborns.
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Who are “the least of these my brothers” in Matthew 25?
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches that when the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will separate sheep and goats along certain lines, saying: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of ...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
What does “Under the Sun” mean in Ecclesiastes?
I noticed that the Teacher uses the phrase "under the sun" more than 20 times in Ecclesiastes. I have always understood this to simply mean "on earth" as The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
What does “put the branch to their nose” in Ezekiel 8:17 mean?
Reading Ezekiel 8 in the ESV I came across verse 17 today and was puzzled by phrase there:
Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that ...
7
votes
1answer
179 views
Is LXX “Enoch pleased God” a reasonable idiomatic translation of Hebrew “Enoch walked with God”?
The Septuagint translates the Hebrew phrase
וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנֹוךְ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים
"Enoch walked with God," from Genesis 5:22 as
εὐηρέστησεν δὲ ενωχ τῷ θεῷ
"Enoch pleased God." I would have ...
5
votes
4answers
3k views
Meaning of “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
In Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37, Jesus uses the phrase "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather." Was Jesus speaking in a parable? Idiom? How has this phrase been interpreted?
3
votes
2answers
207 views
Is “wept on his neck” a Hebrew idiom?
In a number of places, the English Standard Version uses a phrase like "wept on his neck," e.g.
Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. —Genesis ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
What does “in the midst of the years” mean in Habakkuk 3:2?
The phrase "in the midst of the years" occurs in some more literal translations of Habakkuk 3:2:
Yahweh, I have heard the report of you, and your work, Yahweh, do I fear. In the midst of the years ...
